-
Japanese Knives
-
Deba Knives -
Yanagiba Sashimi Knives -
Usuba Knives -
Sakimaru Takobiki Knives -
Kiritsuke Yanagiba Knives -
Wa-Santoku Knives -
Kiritsuke Knives -
Mioroshi Knives -
Aideba Knives -
Funayuki Knives -
Fugubiki Knives -
Takobiki Sashimi Knives -
Aji-Kiri Knives -
Baran-Kiri Knives -
Hamo Honekiri Knives -
Fugu Deba Knives -
Unagi Saki Knives -
Mukimono Knives -
Kenmuki Knives -
Sobakiri Knives
-
- Western Knives
- Damascus Knives
- Home Kitchen Knives
- Accessories
- Gifts
- All Products
Why Damascus Steel on Kitchen Knives is Very Important
The charm of Damascus Steel Knives
Why is Damascus Steel popular? The simple answer is beauty.
After all, the unique ripple pattern flowing along the blade is very stunning to look at.
Of course, the core principles of a good knife such as sharpness and durability remain important but the added beauty makes Damascus blades so much more desirable than your typical tool.
What is Damascus Steel?
Damascus Steel is a steel characterized by a wood grain or water ripple pattern in the blade.
Historically produced by the “Crucible” method in ancient India, it spread through the Middle East, and gained a reputation as a high quality material across Europe during the Middle Ages. The name itself comes from a region in Syria, where Damascus Steel was produced.
Historical Damascus and modern Damascus are different materials. The exact producing method of historical Damascus has been lost. Many modern smiths are trying to reproduce it as closely as possible through careful research and practice.
Modern Damascus steel is at its simplest made by layering two or more steels, forge welding them together and then etching by acid, or polishing to bring out the pattern.
What is Japanese Damascus Steel?
Modern Japanese Damascus is called “Suminagashi” or “Uzushio” in the Sakai region or “Laminated” in the Seki region.
It differs from historical Damascus in the sense that most of them have a steel core that is wrapped with Damascus Steel, not a Full Damascus Steel Blade.
If you think about the pattern on Damascus blades, you can feel the strong connection to classical Japanese swords and their beautiful hamon lines.
It can also be seen in the patterns formed on honyaki Japanese knives.
It seems that there is something in the natural flowing patterns of steel that fascinates people.
Are there disadvantages to Damascus Steel?
Inferior durability
Modern Japanese Damascus Knives are essentially a steel core with two outer layers of thin Damascus Steel, essentially a san-mai three layer construction.
This layer of Damascus is less than 2mm thick in most cases, placing very thin steel around the core.
It is quite difficult to maintain an even sharpness and overall durability across the blade’s edge is slightly reduced.
These days, VG-10 is the most popular steel to use in the core of a Damascus Blade and while VG-10 in general has good edge retention and durability, a VG-10 Damascus blade cannot match the overall strength and edge capabilities of a Full VG-10 Blade like the Sakai Ichimonji SWORD FV10 Series.
A diifficult to maintain pattern
During production, Damascus Steel knives are exposed to either an acid or a blasting process to bring out the rich ripple/flowing patterns of the steel.
The problem is, as you use the blade and sharpen it, over time that pattern will dull and recede.
The only way to restore it, is for an experienced sharpener or polisher to carry out the restoration process with a multitude of whetstones, patience and skill.
Value
Even though Damascus Steel knives have become more affordable, their cost to performance ratio is quite low compared to a knife with a Full Steel blade.
A Damascus blade simply doesn’t have as much usable steel in it to be as durable or sharp for as long in comparison.
What does this mean to the consumer?
At Sakai Ichimonji, we strive to be as clear and informative to our customers as possible. As with any product, there are advantages and disadvantages.
When it comes to Damascus, though it’s overall practicality may be a little less than a Full Steel blade, for many people the beauty is enough to bring joy to their cooking experience. And ultimately, joy is one of the most important parts behind cooking!
The one thing we know for sure, as technology advances, the quality, sharpness and beauty of Damascus knives can only increase in the years to come.